Ghost Catching System

An ordinary item might weigh one, two, or even three catties. But a single catty of Heavy Iron was equivalent to three thousand catties! This stuff is incredibly heavy, Chu Hao thought. I wonder if the Ritian Stick can be refined together with Heavy Iron.

The Ritian Stick could no longer be merged; it could only be refined.

He placed both items into the artifact refining function slot.

The system prompted, ”The Ritian Stick and Heavy Iron can be refined together. The refining process requires 30,000 Pretentiousness Points. Would you like to proceed with the refining?”

Thirty thousand Pretentiousness Points is a lot, Chu Hao mused. Considering how powerful the Ritian Stick is, it’s surprising that refining it with Heavy Iron still costs 30,000.

Chu Hao didn’t plan to refine it. He intended to use the points to purchase the Intermediate Foundation Building Manual instead, especially since he had already collected enough Blood Lotus Flowers and could improve his strength upon returning.

He was very curious about the artifact refining function. If the Ritian Stick and Heavy Iron cost 30,000 Pretentiousness Points to refine together, then what about the Heavy Iron and the Night Demon Blade?

The system prompted, ”Refining the Night Demon Blade with Heavy Iron requires 25,000 Pretentiousness Points.”

Twenty-five thousand Pretentiousness Points! It’s clear that incorporating Heavy Iron into a weapon is a costly affair.

Chu Hao was tempted to refine it, but he believed he should focus on increasing his strength at this time.

The harvest in Tibet had been good, but Diao Chan had disappeared, leaving Chu Hao feeling empty and somewhat distressed. If Flower Rakshasa helped Diao Chan with good intentions, that would be for the best. But if she harbored other malicious thoughts, could I save Diao Chan?

Therefore, Chu Hao desperately wanted to increase his strength.

Diao Chan... I can’t be without her.

The only way to increase strength is to be pretentious. The more pretentious I am, the stronger I’ll become.

Upon returning this time, Chu Hao didn’t yet know that he would face denunciation from the Taoist community.

After getting off the plane, Wu Qingfeng was very grateful to Chu Hao. Feeling embarrassed, he borrowed a thousand yuan, promising to repay Chu Hao as soon as he descended the mountain on his return. Chu Hao gave him the thousand yuan, and Wu Qingfeng was so moved he almost cried, saying that there were still many good people in the world. If Wu Qingfeng knew that Chu Hao had crushed his bicycle, who knows what he would have thought.

It was then that the toad spoke. ”That Little Fatty is indeed a disciple of Kunlun. If only there was a chance to visit Kunlun Mountain just once.”

Chu Hao asked, ”What’s so special about Kunlun Mountain?”

The toad replied, ”It’s the Mount Wan Ancestor! How could it not be special? Besides the Queen Mother of the West, who else could preside over Kunlun? The current Taoist residents of Kunlun aren’t even considered genuine Kunlun people.”

Hearing the toad speak so mystically was like listening to a mythological tale.

Chu Hao asked, ”Is the Queen Mother of the West a ghost or a demon? Isn’t she the woman of the Yu Emperor?”

The toad raised a claw and gestured for silence. ”Don’t talk nonsense. There are some things you simply can’t speak carelessly about.”

Chu Hao curiously asked, ”The Queen Mother of the West isn’t right in front of me. How could she possibly hear me?”

”What do you know?” the toad replied, rolling its eyes. ”Some existences are taboo, like the Queen Mother of the West and others in her category. They’re rumored to be more esteemed than deities themselves, so you mustn’t speak carelessly of them. ’The presence of gods is three feet above one’s head’—aren’t you aware of this as a Yin Yang Master?” The existence of the Queen Mother of the West was almost something out of mythological stories.

The toad added, ”Moreover, who told you that the Queen Mother of the West is the one beside the Jade Emperor? The Queen Mother of the West is the divine spirit of Kunlun Mountain, the Mount Wan Ancestor.”

The toad concluded, ”Anyway, if you get the chance, you should definitely make a trip to Kunlun Mountain. There are treasures to be found there.”

This toad is no simple creature, Chu Hao was increasingly convinced. It’s becoming even more mysterious. I really want to crack open its skull and see what hidden memories are inside.

「...」

Upon returning to Anli City, Chu Hao didn’t rest for a moment. He went straight to Ma Bozhen’s house where the medicinal ingredients had been fully gathered, ready to be used.

Chu Hao clearly understood the importance of strength and had already decided on the way back to make Foundation Building his main priority.

At Ma Bozhen’s house, he found a large iron pot for boiling the medicine. The dosage this time was much larger than before. Under Ma Bozhen’s stunned gaze, Chu Hao jumped into the scalding hot water.

Ma Bozhen muttered, ”Is he trying to cook himself?”

Chu Hao had been adding herbs non-stop, just like adding seasonings, as if he were indeed cooking himself.

The scalding water bubbled furiously, white steam filled the air, and the fire beneath grew more intense. Chu Hao sat inside the iron tub as if he felt nothing, his eyes closed and motionless.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to move, but rather he couldn’t. At this point, the herbs had already opened his meridians.

Chu Hao instructed, ”Learn the Intermediate Foundation Building Manual.”

”Ding… Host is using the Intermediate Foundation Building Manual.”

After using the Intermediate Foundation Building Manual, he immediately felt a strong True Qi entering his body through the opened meridians.

This True Qi was extremely rich and completely different from the first time he underwent Foundation Building.

If before it was a small stream, this time it was a great, rolling river.

True Qi poured continuously into his meridians, giving the Host a sense of sudden enlightenment. It was as if the Intermediate Foundation Building Manual purchased from the System store was a fruit that could enhance strength but needed the cooperation of external medicine for complete integration.

Chu Hao felt his skin prickle painfully, as if needles were stabbing him, as he absorbed a large quantity of medicinal power. If an ordinary person’s body gained this much True Qi, they would probably explode.

This was why learning the Foundation Building Scripture always required the use of medicinal herbs; otherwise, if the System directly infused Chu Hao with True Qi, he too would explode.

Gradually, Chu Hao felt the stinging sensation become weaker.

An hour later, Chu Hao opened his eyes and discovered the water in the tub had turned black, emitting a strange stench.

This was the filth expelled from his body—from his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys—all the unhealthy matter and toxins thoroughly cleansed in one go.

”Ding… Host has successfully learned the Intermediate Foundation Building Manual, gaining 20,000 Mana Points.”

Twenty thousand Mana Points?

Chu Hao was thrilled. He had earned 10,000 Mana Points the first time he learned the Beginners Foundation Building Manual, but received none on subsequent attempts. Now, finally, studying the Intermediate Foundation Building Manual, he obtained Mana Points again.

Mana Points were truly important, which also showcased the System’s remarkable power. Some practitioners from the Yin and Yang Realm could only use a magic treasure once, but Chu Hao could use it three or four times, thanks to the boost from Mana Points.

The more Mana Points he had, the more often he could use items like the Greenwood Flame Fan.

Now, being able to use the Greenwood Flame Fan twice in one go naturally excited him.

Chu Hao leaped out of the tub and limbered up his muscles and bones.

Instantly, his bones made noises like metal striking stone, a sound that would have surprised anyone nearby.

My body now possesses infinite explosive power, Chu Hao felt. True Qi is stored deep within me. I estimate a single punch could easily kill a cow now, right?

In truth, even someone at the Beginners Foundation Building stage could kill a cow with one punch, but now, Chu Hao was confident he could blast a cow to pieces with a single punch without any issue.

Chu Hao was so excited he wanted to test his strength on someone, but aside from Bai Ling, he only had the toad to spar with.

No rush, let’s cultivate another manual, he thought with a grin. He still had Pretentiousness Points and Merit Points, so buying another Intermediate Foundation Building Manual was no problem. When the time came to smash the toad, it would surely be no issue.

”System,” Chu Hao commanded, ”exchange 150,000 Merit Points.”

”Ding… Host has exchanged 150,000 Merit Points for 15,000 Pretentiousness Points.”

”Purchase the Intermediate Foundation Building Manual,” he stated.

”Ding… Host has purchased the Intermediate Foundation Building Manual, spending 20,000 Pretentiousness Points, leaving a balance of 14,000 Pretentiousness Points.”

Fourteen thousand left. With another 6,000 Pretentiousness Points, I can buy one more manual. Then my strength will grow even stronger.

Chu Hao started brewing herbs again.